Plate Tectonics

What is Plate Tectonics? Theory that suggests that Earth’s crust is broken into plates and are moving.

What are Earth’s Plates? Earth’s crust (the lithosphere) is the solid part of the planet. The crust is broken into pieces that make up the plates.

Transform Boundaries Plates slide past one another. Causes Earthquakes. The San Andres Fault in California is a Transform Plate Boundary.

San Andreas Fault

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a Divergent Boundary. Divergent Boundaries Diverge meaning to pull apart. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a Divergent Boundary. FUN FACT: North America and Europe are drifting further apart at approximately 3.0 centimeters per year. That is about the speed of a growing fingernail.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Convergent Boundaries Converge means to come together.

Convergent Boundaries Differ Continental Crust – Continental Crust Oceanic Crust – Oceanic Crust Oceanic Crust – Continental Crust Thicker & LESS DENSE Thinner & More Dense

Convergent Boundary Oceanic Crust – Oceanic Crust Subduction Causes volcanoes and earthquakes.

Continental Crust – Continental Crust Convergent Boundary Continental Crust – Continental Crust Mountains Form Earthquakes Felt

Oceanic Crust – Continental Crust Convergent Boundary Oceanic Crust – Continental Crust SUBDUCTION Volcanoes Form Earthquakes Felt

What is making the Plate move? Convection cells within the Mantle is the driving force of plate tectonics. Convection cells are caused by differences in density.

Plate Tectonics Review Plate Tectonics is the theory that the Earth’s crust is broken into pieces and are moving. The interaction of the plates are known as plate boundaries. There are different types of plate boundaries: Divergent Boundaries, Convergent Boundaries, and Transform Boundaries. The plates are moving due to convection cells below the crust.

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